Flix has been the capital of the sweet world for two days thanks to the celebration of GastroDolç 2026. And no better place and time could have been chosen for this announcement: the creation of the National Pastry Awards of Catalonia, awards that will see the light in 2027, with the aim of recognizing the excellence of the sector, preserving its gastronomic heritage and promoting the talent of new generations.
The announcement was made by the general director of Agri-food Companies, Quality and Gastronomy of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Joan Gòdia, during the closing of GastroDolç Flix 2026, a meeting that has consolidated itself as the great forum dedicated exclusively to the culture of pastry, bakery and sweet cuisine in Catalonia.
According to Gòdia, these awards are born with a double vocation: to recognize the work of professionals who keep alive one of the most emblematic trades in the country and to project, within and outside our borders, the enormous richness of Catalan pastry. The objective also involves stimulating generational change and giving greater visibility to a sector that is going through a particularly brilliant moment.
The capital of the sweet world and bakery
It is no coincidence that the announcement was made precisely at GastroDolç. For two days, the Municipal Market of Flix has brought together some of the most representative figures of the current pastry scene, turning the municipality of Ribera d'Ebre into the great showcase of pastry and bakery talent, craftsmanship and creativity.
All of them have coincided in the same demand: the need to preserve a trade "in danger of extinction", especially that of artisan baker. A trade that, however, remains alive thanks to the passion of a new generation of professionals who collect the legacy of their elders without renouncing innovation and avant-garde.
A luxury closing by Oriol Balaguer
The session by Oriol Balaguer was the icing on the cake, never better said. Trained with the best masters and distinguished with some of the most prestigious awards in the sector —among them the titles of Best Pastry Chef in Spain and Best Pastry Chef in the World granted by the International Academy of Gastronomy—, the Barcelona pastry chef captivated the audience with his presentation The refinement of the exquisite. A true lesson in sensibility, technique, and creativity in which he defended a pastry based on flavor, balance, precision, and emotion, demonstrating why he continues to be one of the great references in international haute patisserie.
Shortly before, the large audience filling the Municipal Market of Flix was able to discover some of the secrets of the desserts from one of the best restaurants in the world. Xecma Misut, a member of El Celler de Can Roca's team, offered a masterful session worthy of his master, Jordi Roca, who was ultimately unable to attend after undergoing surgery days earlier from which he is recovering favorably. Even so, Jordi wanted to be present at GastroDolç through a video message in which he thanked the affection received and wished all attendees a great day.
Misut took over from Jordi Roca to show the creative process behind some of El Celler de Can Roca's most emblematic desserts. A demonstration that maintained the spirit of a session conceived to share knowledge, creativity, and a way of understanding pastry that has made the Girona restaurant a global benchmark. Four live preparations served to illustrate one of the maxims that guides the team's work: "We must look to the past to move towards the future."
A pastry chef four hands on stage
Among the sweetest moments of GastroDolç 2026, the session that brought together on stage the young pastry chef from Flix, Pau Carranza, from Pastelería Larrosa (Best Cheesecake 2024 and Best Sant Jordi Bread 2025), and Àlex Lera, second generation at the helm of Pastisseria Sant Llehí (Best Cheesecake 2025 and Best Bonbon in Spain 2025), stood out. Both demonstrated the complicity that exists between them as they explained and prepared live —each with their own style— the cakes that have earned them these recognitions.
Emerging talent also shone with its own name thanks to Llorenç Peral, second generation of Pastisseria Els Perxis, who on Sunday brought his spectacular Chocolate Sant Joan Coca to the stage, recognized this 2026 as the best in Catalonia in its category. A demonstration that confirms the excellent moment that the new batch of Catalan pastry chefs is going through.
Also Esther Real and Gerard Gil, fourth generation of Forn Gil in Barcelona, offered a lesson in craftsmanship and commitment to tradition. Their presentation highlighted the family legacy and demonstrated that it is possible to innovate without losing the essence of an artisan bakery that continues to be a benchmark in Catalonia.
Technique, passion and local products
The passion for the craft and the defense of local products were, precisely, the common thread of all sessions. Also those led by master bakers Roger Canela, from PaPanBread —distinguished with the Llesca d'Or de Catalunya—, and the Sistaré family, from Reus, representatives of the sixth and fifth generation, respectively, of one of the most recognized baking sagas in the country. Both championed the value of artisan bread, fermentations and the baking craft as an essential part of Catalan gastronomic and cultural heritage.
The healthiest note was provided by Rafel Muria, chef of the Quatre Molins restaurant, in Cornudella de Montsant. The chef, distinguished with a Michelin star, placed honey as the main protagonist of a session that highlighted its gastronomic, nutritional and territorial qualities, demonstrating that such an ancestral product continues to offer infinite creative possibilities.
The program also reserved a space to reflect on the future of the profession with the participation of the Barcelona Pastry Guild. Its president, Luis Izaguirre, together with Elena Sans, a bean-to-bar chocolate specialist linked to the Barcelona Chocolate Museum, and Ivan Prats, from Dolços Alemany 1912 in Amposta, championed training, specialization and generational succession as essential pillars to guarantee the excellence of future Catalan pastry.
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